By Taylor Umlauf and Carl Churchill

Wildfires in New York City. Extreme drought in New Jersey. Millions of residents in several states urged to cut back water usage.

This fall's unseasonably warm weather has led to severely dry conditions with effects rippling throughout the Northeast. And there's no immediate relief in sight.

Here's how the prolonged dry spell this fall has wrought havoc in the region.

Wildfires

Fires have flared up across the Northeast.

The Fire Department of New York has responded to 229 brush fires between Oct. 29 and Nov. 12 -- the highest number in a two-week period in New York City history, according to fire officials. "Remarkably dry conditions in October and so far in November have resulted in a historic amount of brush fires over the last two weeks, and we need the public to remain vigilant," said FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker.

On Wednesday, the FDNY responded to a three-alarm brush fire in Inwood Hill Park in Manhattan. Last Friday, a brush fire broke out in Brooklyn's Prospect Park.

The Jennings Creek wildfire along the New Jersey and New York border has consumed about 5,000 acres as of Tuesday and is the largest wildfire to affect New York state since 2008, according to state officials. Smoke from the fire reached Manhattan over the weekend, bringing acrid smoke and air-quality advisories to the city.

An 18-year-old volunteer firefighter died Nov. 8 while fighting the fire. The fire is 10% contained in both states.

Drought

Drought conditions in the Northeast are the worst for this time of year since 2016. New York City, Philadelphia and Bridgeport, Conn., all had their driest Octobers on record, according to the Northeast Regional Climate Center.

The U.S. had its second-warmest October since record-keeping began, with New Jersey and Delaware recording their warmest October ever, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That prolonged heat has dried out soils and vegetation, making the drought worse and increasing the risk of wildfires throughout the Northeast.

October in New York City began with 29 straight days without rain until 0.01 inches fell on Oct. 29 -- during game four of the World Series. The longest stretch of consecutive rainless days on record in Central Park is 36, set in the fall of 1924. Since the October drizzle, a light rain on Sunday brought less than an inch of rain.

Efforts

Authorities in many areas are asking residents to conserve water. New York state officials issued a drought watch -- the first of four levels of water-conservation declarations in the state -- in 15 counties this month, including New York City, urging residents to conserve water.

New Jersey American Water, a major water provider in the state, issued a mandatory statewide conservation notice for all customers after the governor declared a drought warning for the state Wednesday.

Tuesday, New York issued a statewide ban on outdoor fires used for cooking and other activities through the end of November. Even broader restrictions on outdoor fires have been in place in New Jersey and Connecticut since October.

Forecasters are predicting dry conditions in the region through at least Wednesday and fire watches remain in place. Come the middle of next week, a low pressure system over the middle of the country could move toward the region, potentially bringing rain.

--Brian McGill contributed to this article.

Write to Taylor Umlauf at taylor.umlauf@wsj.com and Carl Churchill at carl.churchill@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 15, 2024 09:00 ET (14:00 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.